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Ireland to use Google and Apple platform for contact tracing

Renee Ellis |Saturday, May 23, 2020

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Google and Applestarted collaborating and announced their plan on releasing a COVID-19 contact tracing technology over a month ago.

But authorities would have to stop requiring users' phone numbers under company rules, one of several restrictions that have left governments battling the new coronavirus frustrated that the world's two leading smartphone software makers in the world undermine the usefulness of technology by prioritizing user privacy.

Contact tracing is a key tool in the fight against COVID-19 as it enables health authorities to track anyone who has been in contact with a confirmed case, test them for the virus, isolate them if they test positive, and contain the further spread of the virus.

Public health agencies can use the platform to build an app that can be used on all Android and iPhone devices.

Public health officials can now contact exposed individuals directly and provide them with the safety measures they should take based on the voluntarily submitted user data they have provided.

The Apple-Google cooperation has actually likewise made it clear that customers will certainly have the alternative to switch off contact tracing any time by uninstalling the devoted application or disable direct exposure notice. Public health authorities can also adjust other factors such as transmission risk according to their preferred standards. If there is a match, the user may be notified that they have come into contact with an individual that tested positive for COVID-19, and the system will share the day the contact occurred, how long it lasted, and the Bluetooth signal strength (e.g., proximity) of that contact. Instead, it is created to supplement and enhance them.

Speaking about the Malaysian government, it is not known if Malaysia is part of the 22 countries that have requested access to the Exposure Notification technology since the country's list was not publically released by Apple and Google.

"Starting today, our exposure notifications technology is available to public health agencies on both iOS and Android", said a joint statement from the companies. Your data will be kept private and Google and Apple will not monetize the information that comes out of the exposure notification technology.

Anyone who uses the app must do so voluntarily and opt-in to Exposure Notifications.

While other countries have tried to build their own contact tracing apps, they found little success in getting people to use them.

"If tracking is much better with the Apple-Google tool, then perhaps we should change and consider what we need to do to make the change", Knudsen said.

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